High school students launch balloons to 100,000 feet

Balloons record video, gamma radiation

It’s every child’s dream to launch into outer space. And on Thursday, some high school students got to see what that’s like.

A group of high school students and their UNH mentors launched twin weather balloons that scraped the very edges of the Earth's atmosphere.

The helium-filled balloons were designed to measure air pressure and temperature. Researchers will record the balloons' ascent in an effort to study flight behavior. They hope to improve future design and performance of satellite missions.

They will also carried a gamma-ray experiment to test whether smaller, lighter detectors can function properly in space. UNH said the development could allow future satellites to be lighter.

Professors said the balloon experiment mocks a real satellite launch.

“They build the components, launch what they created to collect real environmental and performance data, and get it back for analysis,” said Rich Levergood, a teacher at Londonderry High School. “They’re doing real science that is not coming out of a textbook; it’s a rich experience for them.”

The balloon launch was part of UNH's "Project SMART" program, which is now in its 22nd year.

“I’ve never had a hands-on research experience and have actually never taken physics – I’m more interested in history,” said Arianna Zrzavy, a senior from ConVal High School in Peterborough. “But because of Project SMART, I now plan on taking physics next year and am more interested in pursuing science in college.”

The balloons launched from the grounds of the Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site in Cornish.

Project SMART, Science and Mathematics Achievement through Research and Training, is a summer program at the University of New Hampshire designed to help high school juniors and seniors get jobs in science and mathematics.

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